Sheep and goat plague also has the name "peste de petits ruminants" and is sometimes abbreviated as PPR.
The disease is caused by a virus. It affects small ruminant animals, primarily sheep and goats. Camels and some wild ruminants can also be affected.
PPR normally occurs in Africa and parts of Asia. Once before, in Bulgaria in 2018, the plague has appeared within the EU.
The new outbreak has been detected in Greece and Romania in July. To stop the infection, more than 60,000 animals have been put down in the two countries, according to the Danish news agency Ritzau, which refers to Reuters, among others.
The mortality rate among infected animals is high, even excluding put-downs. In the current outbreak, more than every other animal dies, according to SVA.
However, PPR does not infect humans. The risk of spread to Swedish sheep and goats is also considered very low.
The infection spreads mainly through direct contact between animals. We have no import of animals from the affected countries to Sweden, says Beth Young, deputy state veterinarian at SVA.
